New Athearn december

[sundowner]

I got a pair of long runners even though they are to old for my era because they are nice cars and to encourage a second run. They are nice cars, really happy with the ttx cars announcement.

[Ike the BN Freak]

Non sequitor, but I'd buy TTWX, WTTX and KTTX in these F89Fs or in the Atla/BLMA F89J or in the Atlas or MT 89footers.  So annoying how TOFC are rarely offered in anything but double 40ft configs.

I'm looking forward to the TTWX, WTTX, and KTTX configs too. Wish the manufacturers would expand past the RTTX cars.

the XTTX, anyone know the era/hitch config on these too?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

XTTX was flat equipped with 4 collapsible hitches. They were loaded crcus style and allowed 1 40' and 1 45' trailer or three 28' trailers. I think these were a transition item between the TTX and RTTX/KTTX era of flats. A quick search shows only photos in the yellow Trailer Train scheme. So 75-85ish?

[nkalanaga]

I wondered why I hadn't reserved any of these (besides having too many TTX flatcars anyway!), so went back to look at the original announcement.  All it lists is XTTX cars, in both brown and yellow.  As far as I know, 45 ft trailers weren't in use in my era, so no need for flatcars to carry them. 

Actually, http://www.nakina.net/other/report/reportttx.html has a page of TTX reporting marks, and it says XTTX was in use as far back as 10/66, for 2-40ft or 3-28ft.  That was changed to 1-45 and 1-40 in 4/70. still with bridge plates.  So I might have to buy one when they show up at my dealer.

Mark:  The RTTX confused me as well, since that was an autorack reporting mark in my era, and I have several of them.

[jagged ben]

I wondered why I hadn't reserved any of these (besides having too many TTX flatcars anyway!), so went back to look at the original announcement.  All it lists is XTTX cars, in both brown and yellow.  As far as I know, 45 ft trailers weren't in use in my era, so no need for flatcars to carry them. 

...

Huh?  What original announcement?  To my knowledge nobody has done XTTX RTR in N.

[sundowner]

Huh?  What original announcement?  To my knowledge nobody has done XTTX RTR in N.

They were announced on October 2020

[cfritschle]

They were announced on October 2020

Thank you!  Once again Athearn's artwork is a bit misleading (at least for me) in that only two hitches are shown in that announcement, and the reporting marks shown are TTX.  Should the cars with four hitches actually have XTTX reporting marks, or are there other markings on the car to indicate it is an "XTTX" version of an 89-ft flatcar?   

I checked my April 15, 1986 ORER, and it shows XTTX reporting marks for cars in the 150244-154589 number range.  A quick overview of the numbers in Athearn's announcement also puts them in the range of cars that have TTX reporting marks.  And, I found the yellow car shown in Athearn's artwork for the announcement, TTX 150612, was in service in 1986.

Now I am really confused!

[nkalanaga]

Probably someone at Athearn is confused as well...

[jagged ben]

They were announced on October 2020

I see.  Nothing 'original' about that announcement so hence my confusion.

Man, Athearn's website used to be decent and is now almost useless.  The XTTX cars are listed as 'Discontinued' whereas in fact they haven't shipped yet.  (I hope they're not cancelled.)   'View Retired Models' used to work, now it's broken.  The 'What's new' page with the link to the announcement PDFs mysteriously skips over August to November 2020.   I'm not sure when, if ever, the TTEX long runners were actually announced.  Hard to keep track of what's real with them. 

[cfritschle]

I'm not sure when, if ever, the TTEX long runners were actually announced.  Hard to keep track of what's real with them.

I downloaded the Long Runners pdf on 6/27/2020.  The pdf has "Announced 6.26.2020" and "Orders Due 7.31.20."  The ETA listed was June 2021.  I may have to get some and "patch" them with TTX logos.   

[Mark5]

I downloaded the Long Runners pdf on 6/27/2020.  The pdf has "Announced 6.26.2020" and "Orders Due 7.31.20."  The ETA listed was June 2021.  I may have to get some and "patch" them with TTX logos.   

Here's that PDF: http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/062620/10-N_F89_Long%20_Runners_062620.pdf

[MetroRedLine]

I got a pair of long runners even though they are to old for my era because they are nice cars and to encourage a second run. They are nice cars, really happy with the ttx cars announcement.

Do you happen to know the minimum radius for these cars?

[James Costello]

PDFs are up:

http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/112621/08_N_F89F_TOFC%20Flat_Car_112621.pdf

http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/112621/09_N_40'_Z-Van_Trailer_112621.pdf

I'm very glad to finally see the RTTX Triple 28 / Twin 45s BSC flats in N.... Shame there's only 3x numbers.

[Mark5]

Thanks James!

I know prices are going up, but ouch on the trailer prices 

Mark

[sundowner]

Do you happen to know the minimum radius for these cars?

around 11 i think, the two cars are drawbar together, a 53’ trainworx trailer works fine in the between the flats position